Work as yet untitiled
by Simply Cynical
Summary: Please read? I won't steer you wrong. Setting when jess comes back with his book.


Rory smoothed her shirt and nervously exhaled. Jess was late. He had said he'd be there at eight, and it was now eight thirty. She tapped her foot impatiently, and decided to go out and get some fresh air.

She was pacing in the gravel filled drive when headlights blinded her. 'Finally!" she cried rubbing her eyes as the driver's side door swung open.

"Finally?" The voice was not who's she was expecting

Rory squinted at the man standing there. "Logan!" She sprinted over, and launched herself at him, "When did you get back?"

Logan hugged her tightly, " A couple hours ago."

"I thought you were getting back tomorrow. "

"Thought I'd surprise you, Ace."

She pulled back, still in his arms and smiled, "Well, I'm glad you did, 'cause you might get to meet my old friend, Jess."

"Jess? Is that who you were waiting for?"

She nodded, "Yeah, he's in from out of town and -Ooo!" Rory interrupted her self and started rifling through her purse, "He wrote a book!" She held it up proudly.

"A book, huh?"

"Mm-hmm," she flipped through the pages, "It's good too –No surprise there if you knew Jess- we were gonna go out to dinner and catch up." She dropped the bag into her purse; "I actually don't know where to take him, any suggestions?"

"O'Malley's?"

"Of course, he'll love it there! You saved me!"

"Just call me superman." Rory rolled her eyes and hugged him again. "So… Jess, huh?" Logan continued after a beat, "Should I be nervous?"

Rory laughed, "God, no! That ship has sailed. He and I…" Rory's face showed feelings she wasn't aware she had. "We had a thing once, but when the going got tough, he ran."

"He… Ran?"

"Mm-hmm. Like, rather than tell me he flunked out and couldn't take me to prom, he went to California to visit his dad. And don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that he shouldn't see his dad, I'm just saying the timing was convenient. And after that when he came back for his car… Whenever I saw him he would run." Rory stared into the distance as she thought about Jess, and decided to 'forget' and not mention that the reason he had run was because he was nervous about telling her he loved her. She snapped out of it and smiled at him as she ran her hands up and down his chest. "I wouldn't worry about him, babe."

He studied her trying to read her emotions, "Sure?"

She cocked her head to side, and blinked, "Seriously? You need me to repeat myself?"

"Fine," he surrendered. Rory smiled softly at Logan, and at his sudden change in demeanor.

"Aww, somebody's feeling territorial!" Rory teased in a baby voice. Logan looked at her, his face saying, 'Uh, yeah. And?' She laughed, "You can come if you want. This is totally innocent, and if you need to see that for yourself that's fine."

"You're sure he won't mind?"

"I don't care if he minds; I'm not going to get in a fight with you because of an ex-boyfriend." She looked at her watch. "Of course, he has to, you know, show up before I can stop you from fighting with him."

"What time was he supposed to show?"

"Eight."

"What?"

"What 'what'? He's probably caught in traffic or something."

"If you say so."

"I do say so."

"Fine."

"Fine." Rory teased, poking her tongue out at him.

"Mature, very mature." She screwed up her face even more, and continued to stick out her tongue. Logan's face remained scowl-esque for a moment before he laughed, and kissed her.

They waited fifteen more minutes before giving up on Jess and heading to O'Malley's on their own.

CWggCWggCW

"Wham bam, thank you ma'am!" Jess mouthed the words along with the radio. He was, as much as he hated to admit it, excited about seeing Rory again. His high was dampened slightly with the knowledge of Logan, Rory's socialite boyfriend, but he knew that this was just some sort of phase, it just _had_ to be.

He flicked off the radio and passed the car in front of him. He drove in silence for a moment and then turned the radio back on.

All of a sudden the car in front of him slammed on its breaks and swerved off the road. "HOLY SHIT!" Jess yelled and swerved the other direction; just barely avoiding the same car that had careening down the wrong side of the road.

Jess breathed heavily as he leaned back; shoulder bruising under the seat belt, and his head pounding slightly. The car that had caused the accident in front of him was smoking slightly, and the door creaked open and a drunken kid got out and collapsed next to what was likely his parents car. Jess unhooked his seat belt and stepped out of the car.

His mouth was coated with the coppery taste of fear, and his pulse raced with adrenaline. He ran a shaky hand through his hair, and then his fear doubled when he realized that no one had emerged from the other vehicle. He looked at it, a sense of recognition falling over him, but he wasn't sure why. And then he knew.

All other thoughts left his mind as he ran over to the smoking car. Blood and pain was everywhere as he looked into the face he knew so well; too well. "Jesus!"

The door was bent into a ninety-degree angle, so he ran to it and yanked it open. Her legs were covered in blood, and her whole body was covered in glass from the shattered windshield. Her right eye was already swollen shut, and the deep gouges on her face were bleeding profusely.

Jess unhooked her seat belt –probably the only thing that had saved her- and pulled her against his body. Hot blood and glass was pressed into his chest. He slipped his arm under her broken legs, and lifted her out of the car. Her head lolled around on her neck in a dangerous fashion. Jess kept up his slow but steady pace until he was a safe distance from the wreckage. He laid the broken body down on the road beyond his car.

"Oh, my god!" The woman whose car he had passed less then five minutes ago had leapt out and raced over to him. "I'm a nurse, please let me see what I can do! I already called 911."

"Okay!" Jess yelled as he stood and started back to the wreck. "I'm going to help the other guy out!"

She nodded, but her attention was already completely trained on the woman who was lying prostrate in front of her. Jess was about five steps from the drunken, passed out kid when the smoke pouring from under the hood thickened and something exploded.

Paint chipped under the heat, and Jess was horrified to see the flames lick at the boy's unmoving body before he burst into flames. The screaming Jess heard as the boy erupted would haunted his dreams until he died.

"JESUS!" Jess yelled, shading his eyes from the flames. He ran back to the woman. "Lost cause, flames and…" Jess looked at her. "Is she gonna be okay?"

"I don't know, her pulse is really weak. Frighteningly so."

Jess ran his hand through his hair, and looked in the direction of the sound of sirens. "You said you have a cell phone?"

CWggCWggCW

She had just gotten into the car when her cell phone rang. "Hello? (beat) Luke? What's- (beat) Wait, what? (beat) What do you mean she was in an accident? (beat) Where is she? Is she okay? (beat) You don't know- WHERE IS SHE? (beat) I'll see you at Hartford General." Snapping her phone shut she began the life-altering trip to the hospital.

CWggCWggCW

"Oh, God." She murmured. "Ohgodohgodohgod."

She ran to the front desk, "I need to find-"

"I'm sorry, but you're going to hold on a minute-"

"NO, you hold on! There was an accident, and…" Unable to hold back any longer she burst into tears, "Please, just tell me where Lorelai Gilmore is!"

The receptionist's face showed her recognition immediately and she jumped up. "Are you family?"

"Yes! Please just tell me where she is!"

"Come on," the nurse gestured as she lead the way into the E. R.

"Oh, god, Luke! Is she okay?"

Luke shook his head. "I don't know, they won't tell me anything!"

"Why the hell not?":

"Because I'm not/ he's not family." Luke and he nurse said simultaneously. "I'm sorry," the nurse continued, "It's hospital policy."

"Can I see her? Please let me see her."

"Of course," the nurse said, and led the way. "She's just in here."

When she saw the broken body lying in the bed deathly still she almost threw up. "Oh, God. _Mom_…"

Rory walked slowly over to her mother's body began to survey the damage.

Her right eye was under a thick gauze bandage, and she had stitches all over her face holding it together. Other less deep scratches littered her face, neck, and arms. Dried blood was on her lips as well. Frightening bruises crisscrossed her collarbone.

Unable to stay in the room alone with what was once her mother she called out for Luke. He ran in yelling, "What is it, are you okay…" But he trailed off when he saw his fiancé.

"Lorelai…" His voice was just above a whisper when he spoke, and tears began to slide down his cheeks as he stood by her bed and pulled his sobbing step-daughter-to-be against his chest.


End file.
